Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-07-19

| blessed than we are with elevated situa-
| ton, great lines OF shade-trees, nu-
morous parks, and streets and alleys of
ample width. DR.. StrattOn, the presi-
don't # the Board OF Health, as he yes
tcrday morning looked over the official
mortuary returns from TIE chief cities
of the country, said: "Comparcd with
other cities, find we are doing very
well very well indeed.
1t was quite early in the morning
whCn Dr. StrattOn spoke on the sub
jcct. BY mghtfall he was doubtless
convinced that Richmond had not Jared
so we'll as he and many others had
thought
SUNDAYS HEAT.
There were the usual number of
church services on Sunday morning,
but the congregations were small.
And yet the pleasantest houses in
Richmond Sunday were probably the
churches. High-pitched, broad-aisled,
and big-vindowed, they afforded all the
shelter from the heat all the freshness
Of air procurable here. Ia them there
was a degree of comfort positively un-
| known under the tin roofs of the thin
Walltd two story houses, in which the
majority of our population live.
lbatliercc heat was nOtunknOwn to
our ichmODd foIefathers is domonstra-
| be from the fact thatin the Old-fashioned
| houses, where comfort was more studied
than empty show, the shingled roofs
were lifted high above the ceiling the
walls were very stout, and the base
mont was not outlawed as now.
In those days, comparatively speak
ing, very few people left Richmond III
| the summer ice was not very plentl-
ful rcfrigcratOrs were rare, but, having
his basement to go to i'll midday and
having tolerably comfortable sleeping
rooms, the foreiather ercontentedly sweat
cd out the summer in Richmond.
Nevertheless, quartered in the coolest
house in Richmond, one could not
escape the heat of Sunday. AT street
doors, on the shady side of the street,
at p. VI. thermometers danced the
mercury from l03 TO 1O6.
I'm chambers, in dining-rooms, in
parlors the general average was NJ less
than 100.
The thermometer here which most
nearlyapproXimates that of the national
weather bureau at Washington recorded
| l0l.
On the 18th Of July, 1879, when
there was a squirt Of hot weather, it IN
dicated like heat.
Sunday evening and night the public
parks were crowded. The people lin
| gerod about them till past midnight.
| Then they went home to find their
roomsalmOst suilocating and their beds
as hot as if the sheets were Just from
the iropiug-table.
1t is no great cxaegeration to declare
that Hichmond's population didn't ave
rage three and Il half hours of sleep
Sunday night.
James. river water has been unusually
unprepossessing in appearance this
summer. Judging 10y its color and
contents the rod.hill country of Pied
mont Virginia has been greatly blessed
with rains. The water is mean-looking
and it is hot, though it is singularly free
from all the impurities likely to injure
health. at II Nj. yesterday its tenn
perature ms il ran from down town
hydrant was 50. 70 drink it without
ice is disagreeable, and the habit of
using ice has caused that article to be
classed, and correctly, as a necessity OF
cur modern life.
Saturday the ice-dealers undertook to
deliver the supply for that day and for
Sunday-two III one. The orders were
phenomenal. Nothing had ever been
seen like IT.
The dealers doubled the number OF
their wagons and worked until past
midpieht hut two of them even then
failed to supply all their customers,
and consequently had to run their
wagons for some hours Sunday morn
ing. For this they have been reported
TO the Police Justice. BY some queer
construction of the law to deliver ice
from wagon is violation of tbs law
TO sell it from a business stand Is not J!
The consequence is that the poorest
class Of people have to pay double
nrice and, what is more, on Sunday
many of them could not buy ice for love
or money.
In the judgment of many whose
opinion is worth having 1t Is no viola
tion OF law for country cart city
wagon, or the keeper OF a business
stand 10 sell ice on Sunday, as 1t Is q
work of necessity expressly exempted
from the operation of the Sunday law.
The sooner the test is made III the
courts the better.
Il is understood that many country
iee.calts are kept out of the city Sun
days through fear of being fined.
4 test case favorably decided would
relieve the people OF what they now
consider a great hardship.
rIcgMoNp's RECORD.
R;cbmond's recently record as
the hottest place in the United States
would not probably stand the test OF
card;d investigation. The figures award
ms that palm, but official inquiry would
probably take it away from us.
In the cities where the United States
Goyernm. MT has signal-service Office
!, has none here--exact arrangements
are made TO secure correct thermome-
r;c records. The thermometers are
tested and care is taken TO place them
as nearly as possible where they will be
free from refracted heat. How great
this refraction is at times may be seen
from the fact that at o'clock yesterday
ON the north side Of Main street ther-
,aometer on the door frame OF book
store showed 1OGo. Immediately oppo-
Ste 4 was one which showed 9So.
While many Richmond thermometers
pranked from 97o TO l06o on Sunday, the
Weather Service Bureau at Washington